Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald speaks to Oberlin College Democrats

OBERLIN — Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald took office the same month — January 2011.
However, the latter is determined to unseat the former.
Ed FitzGerald on Feb. 27 spoke to students at Oberlin College in an event hosted by Oberlin College Democrats. Dozens of students and members of the community congregated to hear FitzGerald’s case for his campaign to run for Ohio Governor and ask the candidate questions.
FitzGerald said he chose Oberlin College as a site to visit because of the school’s rich history.
“Oberlin has a reputation that’s as long as any university in the country in terms of civic activism,” he said.
Janet Garrett, write-in candidate for the 4th congressional district, spoke ahead of FitzGerald to emphasize the importance of change she believes is needed in the state.
“We need people running the government who actually care about the people,” she said.
Garrett also mentioned the issues that have divided political parties, stressing equality of income.
“I believe that our representative should be supporting equal pay for equal men,” she said. “Shouldn’t that be a no-brainer by now?”
State Rep. Dan Ramos, D-Oberlin, followed Garrett’s address to express support for FitzGerald.
Ramos noted many of the same issues Garrett mentioned, including public education and taxes.
He discussed the millions of dollars eliminated from assisting public education and cuts to basic services.
FitzGerald echoed Ramos’ public service concerns as he reminded the audience of his past as a former FBI agent. He said in order to keep the public safe, and the potholes filled, basic services can’t be decreased.
“Where would you rather see your money spent?” FitzGerald asked. “Columbus? Or local services and schools?”
Access to education also can’t diminish, FitzGerald said.
Improving schools and the quality of education starts with funding, he said.
“We need to do something dramatic in the state when it comes to early childhood education,” FitzGerald told the audience. “Too few of our kids are graduating high school and continuing on to postsecondary education.
“The system is not producing the type of skills people need in the workforce.”
The struggle extends beyond the classroom and according to FitzGerald, the divide between the upper and lower classes is too vast.
“(Ohio) really is a great state, but there’s a lot of people that are struggling,” he said. “The gap between the rich and the poor is greater than it’s ever been. We’re headed in two different directions.”
FitzGerald, who hopes to defeat Ohio Gov. John Kasich in November, said Kasich’s failure to serve Ohioans stems from the governor’s focus on serving people who fit within a certain scope, and he called Kasich’s campaign “a small group serving a small group.”